Container and accumulation amount detection system

Abstract

To reduce the swelling of an inner bag attached to a container toward the inside of the container.SOLUTION: A garbage box (1) comprises: a container body (3) to which a bag (4) is attached on the inside; and a bag holder (6) which includes a clamping portion (71A) made of an elastic member clamping a part of the bag (4), is installed on a side portion (32) and a bottom portion (33) of the container body (3), and holds the bag (4) so as to conform to the inner shape of the container body (3).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container for storing contents, and an accumulation amount detection system for detecting the accumulation amount of the contents stored in the container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for preventing a garbage bag from slipping down inside a garbage can by providing a fastener for fastening the garbage bag to the edge of the opening (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-73653 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology described above, the garbage bag attached to the garbage can may bulge toward the inside of the garbage can, which may make it difficult for relatively light garbage such as dust or thin plastic to enter the garbage bag.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to reduce the bulging of a bag attached to a container into the inside of the container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a container according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a container body to which a bag is attached on the inside, and a bag holder that includes a clamping portion made of an elastic member that clamps a portion of the bag, is installed on at least one of the side and bottom of the container body, and holds the bag so as to conform to the inner shape of the container body. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the bulging of a bag attached to a container toward the inside of the container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a trash can according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the trash can shown in FIG. 1 with its door open. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the trash can shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view showing a bag holder provided in the trash can shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 5 is an end view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 4, taken along the arrow BB. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a container body equipped with a modified example of the bag holder. [Figure 7] 13 is a plan view of a container body provided with another modified example of the bag holder as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a front view showing an example in which a bag holder is installed on a net-shaped container body. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged end view of the bag holder shown in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 9 is an end view showing another example in which a bag holder is installed on the net-like container body shown in FIG. 8. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Note that the following description is an example in which a container according to the present invention is applied to a trash can, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0010] [Configuration of Trash Bin 1] First, the overall configuration of a trash can 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the trash can 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the trash can 1 shown in Fig. 1 with a door 21 open.

[0011] 1 and 2, the trash can (container) 1 includes a housing 2 and a container body 3 installed inside the housing 2. The housing 2 is provided with a door 21, for example, on its front side, which can be opened. An insertion opening 22 is provided at the top of the door 21.

[0012] The container body 3 is a rectangular (quadrilateral) bottomed container having an opening 31 at the top. A bag (inner bag) 4 is attached to the inside of the container body 3. The bag 4 is attached to the container body 3 with its opening folded outward from the opening 31 of the container body 3. Waste inserted through the insertion opening 22 is contained in the container body 3 to which the bag 4 is attached. The shape of the container body 3 is not particularly limited. The shape of the container body 3 can be changed as appropriate depending on, for example, the shape of the housing 2. The container body 3 may be, for example, circular, polygonal other than rectangular, or other shape in a plan view.

[0013] The trash can 1 further includes an accumulation amount sensor 5 that senses the inside of the container body 3 to which the bag 4 is attached. The accumulation amount sensor 5 is a detection device that detects the amount of trash (contents) contained in the container body 3. The accumulation amount sensor 5 is capable of communicating with an external device via a communication network. The accumulation amount sensor 5 transmits the amount of trash (accumulation amount) contained in the container body 3 to, for example, a trash collection facility. This makes it possible to collect the trash at an appropriate time.

[0014] In the illustrated example, the accumulation amount sensor 5 is shown attached to the top surface inside the housing 2. However, the position at which the accumulation amount sensor 5 is attached may be any position that allows it to detect the amount of garbage. For example, the accumulation amount sensor 5 may be attached to the side surface inside the housing 2, or, if the garbage can 1 is a container with a removable lid, to the inner surface of the lid.

[0015] Furthermore, the accumulation amount sensor 5 may be any sensor capable of detecting the amount of garbage contained in the container body 3. For example, the accumulation amount sensor 5 may be any one of an optical sensor (typically an infrared sensor, but may be one that uses light of other wavelengths), an ultrasonic sensor, a weight sensor, and an image sensor.

[0016] Furthermore, the accumulation amount sensor 5 may be a sensor unit equipped with multiple sensors. In this case, by making each sensor use a different detection method, if the detection result of one sensor is unreliable, it becomes possible to use the detection result of another sensor, and it becomes possible to detect the amount of garbage accurately and stably.

[0017] The trash can 1 according to this embodiment is a single-tank type in which one container body 3 is installed inside the housing 2. However, the trash can 1 may be a multi-tank type in which multiple container bodies 3 are installed inside the housing 2. In this case, for example, an accumulation amount sensor 5 may be attached to each of the multiple container bodies 3 so that the amount of accumulated trash can be detected for each of the multiple container bodies 3.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the trash can 1 shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line AA. For example, if the trash can 1 is installed outdoors, the bag 4 attached to the container body 3 may bulge inward of the container body 3 due to the influence of a strong wind or the like. In this case, relatively light trash such as dust or thin vinyl may not be easily accommodated in the bag 4. Furthermore, when detecting the amount of trash using the pile-up amount sensor 5, the pile-up amount sensor 5 may erroneously detect the bulging bag 4. On the other hand, in consideration of periodically replacing the bag 4, it is desirable that the bag 4 be easily attached to and detached from the container body 3.

[0019] 3, the trash can 1 further includes a bag holder 6 that holds a part of the bag 4 attached to the inside of the container body 3 and holds the bag 4 so that it conforms to the shape of the inside of the container body 3. This makes it difficult for the bag 4 to bulge inwardly into the container body 3 in the trash can 1.

[0020] In the illustrated example, a state in which a plurality of bag holders 6 are installed on the container body 3 is shown. For example, one bag holder 6 is installed on each of the four side portions 32 of the rectangular container body 3, and one bag holder 6 is installed on the bottom portion 33 of the container body 3. By installing the bag holders 6 on both the side portions 32 and the bottom portion 33 of the container body 3 in this manner, it becomes easier for the bag holders 6 to hold the bag 4 so as to conform to the inner shapes of the side portions 32 and the bottom portion 33, and it is possible to effectively reduce the bag 4 from bulging inside the container body 3.

[0021] The bag holder 6 may be installed on at least one of the side portion 32 and the bottom portion 33, and the number and installation positions of the bag holders 6 installed on the container body 3 may be changed as appropriate. When multiple bag holders 6 are installed on the side portion 32 of the container body 3, the multiple bag holders 6 may be installed at approximately equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the side portion 32. For example, when two bag holders 6 are installed on the side portion 32 of the container body 3, the two bag holders 6 may be installed at positions facing each other. By installing the bag holders 6 on the side portion 32 in this manner, it is possible to effectively reduce the bulging of the bag 4 toward the inside of the container body 3. In addition, multiple bag holders 6 installed along the circumferential direction of the side portion 32 may be installed in multiple stages along the height direction of the side portion 32.

[0022] [Configuration of bag holder 6] Next, the configuration of the bag holder 6 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the bag holder 6 provided in the trash can 1 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end view of the bag holder shown in Fig. 4, seen from the arrow BB.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bag holder 6 includes a holder body 7 for holding the bag 4, and a holder 8 for attaching the holder body 7 to the container body 3. As shown in FIG.

[0024] The holder body 7 includes an elastic plate 71, an edge portion 72 provided around the periphery of the elastic plate 71, and a tubular portion 73 to one end of which the elastic plate 71 and the edge portion 72 are attached.

[0025] The elastic plate 71 is a plate-like member made of an elastic material (elastic sheet) such as rubber. In the illustrated example, the elastic plate 71 is circular. The shape of the elastic plate 71 is not particularly limited, and may be a polygon or other shape.

[0026] The elastic plate 71 has a clamping portion 71A that clamps a part of the bag 4. In this embodiment, the clamping portion 71A is a slit formed penetrating the elastic plate 71 in the thickness direction. The center C of the clamping portion 71A approximately coincides with the center of the circular elastic plate 71. The clamping portion 71A has a shape in which multiple (eight in the illustrated example) linear slits are arranged radially from the center C.

[0027] The shape of the slit of the clamping portion 71A is not particularly limited as long as it can clamp and hold a part of the bag 4. The shape of the slit of the clamping portion 71A can be selected arbitrarily depending on the hardness or thickness of the elastic plate 71 to be used. It is preferable to select a hardness or thickness that does not hurt the fingers when clamping a part of the bag 4 in the clamping portion 71A.

[0028] Furthermore, the sandwiching portion 71A is not limited to a slit formed in the elastic plate 71, and any structure can be selected as long as it is capable of sandwiching and holding a part of the bag 4. For example, the sandwiching portion 71A may be structured such that the ends of two elastic plates are overlapped with each other and a part of the bag 4 is sandwiched in the gap between the overlapped parts. Furthermore, the sandwiching portion 71A may be structured such that an elastic body is formed into a U-shape or C-shape and a part of the bag 4 is sandwiched in the opening part.

[0029] An annular edge portion 72 is provided around the elastic plate 71. In the illustrated example, the edge portion 72 is annular. The edge portion 72 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the elastic plate 71 and fixes the elastic plate 71 to the tubular portion 73.

[0030] The elastic plate 71 and the edge portion 72 are attached to the tubular portion 73 so as to close one end side of the tubular portion 73. In the illustrated example, the tubular portion 73 is cylindrical. The center axes of the edge portion 72 and the tubular portion 73 are approximately aligned, and the edge portion 72 has a larger diameter than the tubular portion 73. Therefore, when attached to one end side of the tubular portion 73, the edge portion 72 protrudes radially outward from the tubular portion 73.

[0031] The holder 8 includes an attachment portion 81 to which the retainer body 7 is attached, two support portions 82 that support both ends of the attachment portion 81, and two flange portions 83 provided on each support portion 82.

[0032] The mounting portion 81 is a plate-like member having a through hole 81A (see FIG. 5) formed therethrough in the thickness direction. The dimension of the through hole 81A is smaller than the outer shape of the edge portion 72 of the holder main body 7, and is slightly larger than the outer shape of the cylindrical portion 73 so that the through hole 81A can be fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 73.

[0033] The support portions 82 extend from two ends of the mounting portion 81 facing each other in one direction toward the side opposite the surface 81B of the mounting portion 81. The support portions 82 are parallel to each other and form an angle of approximately 90 degrees with the mounting portion 81.

[0034] The flange portion 83 is provided at the end of the support portion 82 located opposite the mounting portion 81. The flange portion 83 protrudes toward the outside of the holder 8, in other words, toward the opposite side to the side where the support portions 82 face each other. Each flange portion 83 is parallel to the mounting portion 81 and forms an angle of approximately 90 degrees with the mounting portion 81. An adhesive tape, a magnet, a suction cup, a screw, or the like is attached to the flange portion 83 for mounting the bag holder 6 to the container body 3.

[0035] Thus, the holder 8 has a convex shape with the mounting portion 81 protruding from the flange portion 83. The retainer main body 7 is held by the holder 8 in a state in which the cylindrical portion 73 is fitted into the through hole 81A from the surface 81B side of the mounting portion 81 and the edge portion 72 is in contact with the surface 81B around the through hole 81A.

[0036] The bag holder 6 having the above-mentioned configuration is installed inside the container body 3, and holds the bag 4 in accordance with the inner shape of the container body 3 by clamping the bag 4 in the clamping portion 71A. Since the bag 4 is simply clamped in the clamping portion 71A, the bag 4 can be easily attached to the container body 3 by pushing the bag 4 into the clamping portion 71A. In addition, the bag 4 can be easily pulled out of the clamping portion 71A by pulling the bag 4. Therefore, the bag 4 can be easily attached to and detached from the container body 3 when replacing the bag 4.

[0037] The bag holder 6 may be installed on the lower side of the vertically halved interior of the container body 3. More specifically, the bag holder 6 may be installed on the container body 3 such that the center C of the clamping portion 71A is located on the lower side of the vertically halved interior of the container body 3. For example, when the internal height of the container body 3 is H, the bag holder 6 is installed such that the center C of the clamping portion 71A is located at a height of H / 2 or less from the bottom 33. This allows the bag holder 6 to hold the lower side of the bag 4, which is particularly prone to bulging inwardly of the container body 3, and suitably reduce the bulging of the bag 4.

[0038] The bag holder 6 may be installed so that a space S exists between the clamping portion 71A (elastic plate 71) and the container body 3 (FIG. 5). This allows the bag 4 to be held by the bag holder 6 by pushing the bag 4 into the space S from the clamping portion 71A.

[0039] Furthermore, the bag holder 6 may be detachable from the container body 3. This allows the positions and number of the bag holders 6 to be optimized according to the shape of the container body 3, etc. Furthermore, the bag holder 6 can be installed in an existing container, or the bag holder 6 can be reused in another container.

[0040] [Effect of Trash Can 1] As described above, the trash can 1 of this embodiment comprises a container body 3 to which a bag 4 is attached on the inside, and a bag holder 6 which includes a clamping portion 71A made of an elastic member that clamps a part of the bag 4, is installed on the side portion 32 and bottom portion 33 of the container body 3, and holds the bag 4 so as to conform to the inner shape of the container body 3.

[0041] In the trash can 1, the bag 4 can be held along the inside of the container body 3 by the bag holders 6 installed on the side parts 32 and the bottom part 33 of the container body 3. Also, since the bag 4 is simply clamped in the clamping parts 71A, the bag 4 can be easily attached and detached when replacing it. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to realize a trash can 1 which can reduce the bag 4 from expanding inwardly of the container body 3 and in which the bag 4 can be easily attached and detached.

[0042] [Modifications] (Variation 1) The bag holder 6 may include a plurality of clamping portions 71A. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a container body 3 equipped with a bag holder 6A which is a modified example of the bag holder 6. Fig. 7 is a plan view seen from above of the container body 3 equipped with a bag holder 6B which is another modified example of the bag holder 6.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 6, bag holder 6A may be configured, for example, by arranging elastic plate 71 made of a single rubber sheet or the like in an annular shape around the entire circumferential direction inside side portion 32 of container body 3, and providing multiple clamping portions 71A on annular elastic plate 71. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 7, bag holder 6B may be configured by arranging elastic plate 71 made of a single rubber sheet or the like around the entire inner side of bottom portion 33 of container body 3, and providing clamping portions 71A on each of the four corners of elastic plate 71. This allows multiple points of bag 4 to be held by one bag holder 6A / 6B, so that bulging of bag 4 toward the inside of container body 3 can be efficiently reduced.

[0044] (Variation 2) The container body 3 may be a net-like mesh container made of wire or the like. FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example in which the bag holder 6 is installed on a net-like container body 3A, which is a modified example of the container body 3. FIG. 9 is an end view showing an enlarged view of the bag holder 6 shown in FIG. 8. The left side of FIG. 9 is the inside of the container body 3A. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the container body 3A is a net-like mesh container made of wire 30. In this case, the bag holder 6 may be attached from the outside of the container body 3A (the right side of FIG. 9) so that the holder body 7 is placed in the gaps of the mesh structure of the container body 3A. In this way, by placing a part of the bag holder 6 in the gaps of the mesh structure of the container body 3A, the amount of protrusion of the bag holder 6 into the inside of the container body 3A is reduced. Therefore, it becomes easier for the bag holder 6 to hold the bag 4 so as to follow the shape of the inside of the container body 3A.

[0045] It is also possible to install the bag holder 6 from the inside of the net-like container body 3A. FIG. 10 is an end view showing an example in which the bag holder 6C is installed on the net-like container body 3A. The left side of FIG. 10 is the inside of the container body 3A. As shown in FIG. 10, the bag holder 6C may be attached from the inside of the container body 3A (the left side of FIG. 10) so that the holder body 7 is placed in the gaps of the mesh structure of the container body 3A. In this bag holder 6C, the holder 8 is oriented in the opposite direction to the bag holder 6. In other words, the holder body 7 and the holder 8 are attached so that, in a state in which the bag holder 6C is installed on the container body 3A, the mounting portion 81 side (convex side) of the holder 8 faces the outside of the container body 3A and the clamping portion 71A of the holder body 7 faces the inside of the container body 3A. The bag holder 6C further reduces the amount of protrusion of the bag holder 6C into the inside of the container body 3A. Therefore, the bag 4 can be easily held by the bag holder 6C so as to conform to the inner shape of the container body 3A.

[0046] (Variation 3) The bag holder 6 may be configured not to include the holder 8. In other words, the bag holder 6 may be configured such that the holder body 7 is directly installed on the container body 3. In this case, for example, a flange portion may be provided on the tubular portion 73 of the holder body 7, and an adhesive tape, a magnet, a suction cup, a screw, or the like may be attached to the flange portion. This makes it possible to omit the holder 8 and make the bag holder 6 smaller.

[0047] (Variation 4) The above-described embodiment is an example of a configuration in which the trash can 1 is equipped with the accumulation amount sensor 5. However, the present invention may also be configured to have a configuration in which the trash can (container) and the accumulation amount sensor are separately provided (accumulation amount detection system). In this case, the accumulation amount sensor 5 may be installed outside the trash can 1 (for example, on a support positioned near the trash can 1 (housing 2)) and configured to sense the inside of the container body 3.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiment. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1: Trash can (container) 3, 3A: Container body 4: Bag 5: Accumulation sensor 6, 6A, 6B, 6C: Bag holder 7: Holder body 8: Holder 32: Side 33: Bottom 71: Elastic plate 71A:Pinch part S: Space

Claims

1. A container body to which a bag can be attached; a bag holder including a clamping portion made of an elastic member that clamps a portion of the bag, the bag holder being installed on at least one of a side portion and a bottom portion of the container body and holding the bag so as to conform to the inner shape of the container body; A container comprising:

2. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the bag holder is disposed on the lower side of the interior of the container body divided vertically into two equal halves.

3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag holder is disposed so that a space exists between the clamping portion and the container body.

4. 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the bag holder is detachable from the container body.

5. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag holder includes a plurality of the clamping portions.

6. The container according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of said bag holders.

7. The container according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a deposition amount sensor attached facing the inside of the container body and sensing the inside of the container body.

8. A container according to claim 1 or 2; a deposition amount sensor for sensing the inside of the container body; An accumulation amount detection system comprising:

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